As it is well known, petroleum is formed by organic compounds of varied structures and different molecular weights. It is possible to group these organic compounds into saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes. The latter represent the heavy fraction and have increased in Mexico and the rest of the world causing production and conversion problems.
Asphaltenes are considered to be a fraction of heavy oil which may be soluble and are found in colloidal suspension, dispersed in a continuous phase and surrounded by resins in a micelle. Resins are responsible for keeping asphaltenes separated and maintaining stability in the system.
When there is a physical-chemical disturbance in an oil field, as it commonly occurs in production wells, the disturbance causes the concentration of resin molecules to undergo changes, causing them to leave the micelle, altering the stability of the asphaltenes that are suspended in oil, weakening the repulsive forces of the asphaltenes and generating a mutual interaction among asphaltenes.
This invention provides an innovative additive compound which can be utilized in handling these asphaltenes, allowing for improvement in heavy crude oil, increasing the production of oil wells and improving transportation in pipelines.